Sometimes escaping the rat race and getting away from it all is the best solution... but whilst we might prefer to be tech free when we do, the truth is, we still want our powered devices with us; to photograph a beautiful sunrise, to check our whereabouts on the GPS, to illuminate our campsite. The HUB Chair brings everything you want into one single, purpose built, intelligently designed, comfortable and compact piece of gear… making your planned outdoor escape truly perfect!

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The biggest reason to back the HUB is …

Because it will give you the POWER to escape the rat race.

Designed in Australia and solidly constructed to withstand the elements, the HUB Chair's unique design incorporates the powerful ability to charge your electronic gadgets when you just want to get away from it all in the great outdoors.

Easily the smartest camping chair ever made, the HUB is genius!

Having one of these chairs can totally save your day:

When you’re watching the kids play football and your camera battery fails! When you’re at the beach finishing your murder mystery eBook and your tablet dies! When you’re camping out for the weekend and have forgotten to charge the camp lantern!

There are in fact plenty of other reasons to back the HUB, like weatherproof Bluetooth speakers, an LED flashlight, a portable solar panel or an easy access cooler…

But being able to escape and get away from it all and still have the convenience of having POWER on hand, is the one you will love the most.

Here's what people have said about the HUB

Christine King. Brisbane, Australia.

"(It's) what I’ve been saying ie. These days everyone in your group will have things they’ll still want to take with them that require charging. And also, just think about the amount of stuff you pack to take with you to “get a way from it all” and end up bringing it with you anyway. The HUB simplifies that!"

The Hub packs power

Never again worry about having forgotten to pre-charge your electronic gadgets before making your escape from the Big Smoke!

Built in to the HUB table top is a massive 10,000Mah power bank that could run the bluetooth speakers alone for up to 7hrs non-stop or fully charge your iPhone 5 times over. The polymer battery pack is lightweight, water and dust resistant and puts out a 'fast charge' through two x 2.5amp USB ports that will happily charge a couple of your electronic gadgets simultaneously!

Standard with every chair, comes an extra long 3m micro/USB cord and Car Charger that plugs into your car's 12V cigarette socket. Monitor how charged you are with the LED indicator lights and juice up if you need to while you're driving or when you get there.

Portable Solar Panel

Even if your vehicle's 12V socket is miles away, you can always whip out your trusty fast-charging 18W Solar Panel wallet (conveniently stowed in the armrest pannier where you won't forget it) and charge your HUB power bank using the sun's free rays! This lightweight, waterproof, highly efficient mini panel is dead easy to use; just position it in the full sun and plug it into the micro USB port (with the cord supplied) on the side of the table.

Make yourself truly self-sufficient when you next head off the beaten track.

Built-in Bluetooth Speakers

Really set the mood and groove to your favourite tunes!

Fully waterproof in the event of an unexpected shower, the superior quality speakers and subwoofer produce sounds with a smooth baseline quality, clear mids and plenty of volume to fill your outdoor spaces. Let your music play for hours using the built-in power bank and take or make phone calls directly from the table top (if you really want to that is!)

Party Connect TechnologyTwo HUBs are better than one!

Create a surround sound party atmosphere when you're in the middle of nowhere with this leading edge technology that connects the speakers from two HUB chairs to a single music source. That means you can play your party tunes with double the volume and outdoor reach; surely the best reason to own two HUBs!

Stable Pivoting Table

What really sucks about eating outdoors is when you've just managed to carefully balance the plate of food on your lap and it decides to take a nosedive into the sand! And don't you just KNOW how impossible it is to properly wash sand from a juicy steak?

For this feature alone, it's worth having a HUB Chair with your own stable personal table that swings to the front for eating and to the side for sharing a bowl of nuts with your drinking buddy. Position the sticky silicon grip-mat on the table surface and pivot it at an angle to create a non-slip easel for sketching or hands free e-reading.

Detachable LED FlashlightThey say we "eat with our eyes" and nothing makes camp food more enjoyable than being able to see what's on the plate in front of us... but when the sun's gone down and there's only starlight to see by, it ain't so easy!

The HUB's 80 Lumens LED torch will likely make your food taste better by giving you hands-free tabletop illumination with it's magnetic attachment and unique bendable shaft for directing the light where you most need it. The flashlight easily detaches for BBQ checking duty or for finding your tent in the dark!

Tough Chair Construction

The last thing you need in the great outdoors is a cheap, flimsy excuse for a camping chair with fabric you can shoot peas through and a frame that can't cope with a bit of rough treatment.

Be confident in knowing that we consider a strong, well-balanced, sturdy and durable structure to be an essential foundation element of the HUB chair; one that will never be compromised. We have used lightweight curved and moulded aluminium tubing with a tough, anodised, powder coat finish in an easy-to-fold-up oversized director's chair style. Hard plastic elbows on the leg corners stop your chair from sinking in the sand and tipping you out, whilst the heavy UV-protected polyester canvas seat and back is padded in just the right spots for maximum laid-back comfort.

Armrest Cooler Bag

Don't get up, stay right there in your seat... reach lazily to your left, flip up the quick-access lid and pull out another icy cold one. RELAX!

It is so EASY to stay refreshed in the HUB! Fit up to 12 cold cans or other snacks and beverages in the detachable soft-sided cooler for possible all-day personal supply. The comfy adjustable shoulder strap makes for an easy BYO to your neighbour's beach party or convenient refill from the mother icebox.

Detachable Trolley WheelsHow much other stuff have you got to cart to your favourite picnic spot?

Turn your HUB into a very handy packhorse: attach the wide-tread off-road wheels, load up the seat with up to 30kgs of gear, tip and pull/push your HUB cart with the sturdy webbing handles off into the wild! When you get there, simply detach the wheels, sit down, put your feet up and ENJOY!

Here's a quick overview of the Perks and Packages in a nutshell

Shipping Costs to your Door

If you're like me, you hate getting right to the end of the checkout process before finding out exactly what the 'extra shipping' costs will be! For me personally, the experience can be a real turn off and I definitely don't want it to be for you. So here is a shipping cost chart to help you make your decision.

Risks and Potential Challenges.I have chosen to run an all-or-nothing type of campaign on this crowdfunding site for a couple of reasons: First of all, because I need every single cent of my nominated funding goal to be able to go ahead and pay for all the necessary moulding and tooling charges and place my first minimum order with the factories, you will all get your money back if I don't reach my goal. And secondly, I do not take your pledge and personal trust lightly. In fact, on this first order run, I will be matching every one of your dollars with the equivalent number of dollars from my own pocket. It's called 'skin in the game' ... which, in the business venture capital world, is considered a significant demonstration of my commitment, not least because I stand to feel a whole lot of financial pain if I don't keep my promise and deliver to you an outstanding, beyond expectations, product.If you have supported other crowdfunded campaigns before, you will know this is about the best, hand-on-heart promise you can get. So, where do the biggest challenges lie?

Based on my having a whole heap of experience in product development and mass production, I don't believe there are major risks with the production side of the HUB chair. As I briefly explained in my video, I have chosen, researched, double-background checked and personally visited and physically inspected the manufacturing facilities at each of my carefully selected factories. I am totally confident I can produce a superb quality, fit-for-purpose, high-tech camping chair for you.

That said, at this stage the biggest challenges are to do with the shipping of the HUB to your door and this is because I will not be able to personally (and lovingly) pack, address and send every chair off to it's new home from several ports around the world simultaneously. Believe me I would if I physically could. But it's ok, I have been in touch with some very professional fulfillment services out there who have promised they will execute my deliveries with as much care and attention as I would and so I am confident of sorting out any issues that may arise.

Something about Julie

From the age of 'very young', my Mum and Dad ambitiously trundled me and my two younger brothers around Australia and the world, mostly doing some very care free, adventurous and somewhat dangerous activities many parents wouldn't dream of exposing their kids to.

Nowadays, at the age of 'not very young', I live by the beach with my husband, Alan on the Gold Coast in Australia and I guess you would not be surprised to learn, that as an adult, I'm still pretty much addicted to that care free feeling I felt way back then and that I still get when I have managed to escape the rat race for a moment.

But alas, my style of travel has evolved into something a little less dangerous and a lot more comfortable. No longer content to put up with inferior gear that doesn't perform, I also want to only take things that make my outdoor life easier in a multitude of ways. And that's the very reason I designed the HUB.

With over 20 years of experience in a number of design genres; Fashion, Interior and architectural, I turned my hand to creating something that I believed would not just help me but encourage many people to get out there and enjoy the care free feeling of being outdoors, that I have so loved for many years.

The HUB Chair was born and it's thanks to all those people below (and many more) that we have come this far. Launching my pride and joy to the world through crowdfunding has been an incredibly thrilling adventure and I thank you too for joining me on this exciting journey.